As the heavens cast grey clouds over us

And I'm not just talking about the weather these days.

I remember sitting in Guan's room that day and checking my email when he suddenly said, "Have you heard about it? Do you know? There was a tsunami disaster." No, I hadn't heard about it. Nor did I grasp the full magnitude of the situation. The last time I ever heard about a tsunami was in my Sec 2 geography class.

But now I have. I still cannot believe how bad it is. So many people died, many of them children. Totally shocking. Every morning, when I open the newspapers and read accounts of the devastation, I have to force back a sudden surge of sadness and a wave of tears. As an outsider, I cannot comprehend the kind of grief the victims' families must be going through. I can only imagine how terrible it is.

I pray and hope that nothing else will happen from now on. It seems a tad uncanny that something terrible seems to take place every year ever since we crossed over to the 21st century. I vaguely remember drawing pictures of what life would be like in the year 2000 + when I was young. Flying cars and spaceships were the order of the day in the pictures we drew. Ironically, nothing of that sort has happened. We might as well have drawn pictures of mass devastation, destruction and disease: there was Sept 11 in 2001, SARS, bird flus in 2002- 03, the Iraq War in 2003-04, and this Tidal Wave disaster as we wrap up 2004. Not to mention the numerous terrorist bombings in between. I guess we can't really blame people for thinking that the end of the world is imminent.

We've probably overestimated the good things that humans can do and will experience. Maybe it's time all of us sobered up and be wiser, be humble, and be more humane to one another.

Happy to New Year to one and all. Let's all pray that 2005 will bring fresh hope and new beginnings.